Impact of Self-care Educational Program on Sexual Function among Ischemic Heart Disease Patients

Sexual activity is a multi-faceted construct that is influenced by multiple variables, including individual, social, and psychological factors. Sex education can facilitate the reduction of disease complications, especially in patients suffering from ischemic heart disease. Regarding this, the present research aimed at examining the impact of a self-care education program on sexual function in ischemic heart disease patients.

The present semi-experimental research was conducted on 60 patients afflicted with ischemic heart disease, in the Vali Asr Hospital in Qom, Iran, in 2017. The study population was assigned into two groups of control and intervention by the simple random sampling technique. The patients were subjected to self-care education via CDs. the data were collected by means of the Arizona Sexual Experiences Scale, as well as demographic and clinical form. The two research groups filled out the questionnaires prior to and a minimum of one month following the training. Data analysis was performed by Wilcoxon test, central tendency, and Mann-Whitney U test.

According to the results, the patients in the intervention and control groups had the mean ages of 58.1±5.8 and 57.66±4.5, respectively. There was a statistically significant difference in the sexual function of the intervention group after the educational intervention, compared to that before the intervention (P<0.05). However, no such difference was observed in the control group between the two study stages (P>0.05).

As the findings indicated, sexual training programs could result in the improvement of sexual function in patients suffering from ischemic heart disease. Accordingly, nurses are recommended to consider such educational interventions for patients with this heart condition.